Various arrangements are provided for mounting and supplying electric current to fluorescent lamps. In a typical arrangement, the ballast transformer, which is used to provide the voltage to the fluorescent lamp or lamps, is mounted separately within a fixture. One or more pairs of sockets are provided at ends of the fixture so that the lamp or lamps can be mounted on the sockets. Leads extend within the fixture from the ballast to the sockets. Such arrangements of ballasts and sockets mounted in a fixture are conventional for relatively large size fluorescent lamps, e.g., 20 watts, 40 watts and above.
Recently, there has been a movement to adopt and use fluorescent lamps of lower wattage capacity, e.g., 1-4 watts, 8 watts and 13 watts. Such low wattage lamps, since they have a relatively small length, have been used in a variety of applications. For example, they are used directly to replace incandescent lamps. In this application the fluorescent lamp, or lamps, are directly mounted in a base which includes the ballast.
One application in which such low wattage lamps can be used is for warning signs. Various types of signs, such as EXIT signs, are required by many governmental regulations as being mandatory in various public places such as schools, hotels, offices, factories, etc. These signs are required to be illuminated by internal or external light sources on a continuous basis, 24 hours a day. In many instances, the majority of the signs are lit by two incandescent lamps, these being rated in the 10-20 watt range for a total of 20-40 watts per sign.
Due to increasing energy costs it is desirable to replace signs using incandescent lamps with fluorescent lamps. Also, incandescent lamps have, as compared to fluorescent lamps, a relatively short life and require replacement. This also increases overall operating costs, which provides a further reason for their replacement. The replacement can be accomplished by providing a fluorescent lamp retrofit kit or provide new signs using fluorescent lamps. In either case, the fluorescent lamps use less energy while providing relatively the same amount of light.